RDG Bethlehem Branch Being Ripped Up...

If you wanted to get any last-minute shots of the Bethlehem through Hellertown/Bingen/Center Valley/Cooperburg/etc, now is the time.

I went out with my son last Sunday for a look, and sure enough the entire ROW has been denude of trees & vegetation and the rails ARE being lifted. There was a hi-rail truck at the Passer Road crossing parked for the weekend, but they were indeed lifting both tracks there. Sad to see - what rail is left has some of the bolts welded off and spikes pulled.

I remember riding a Budd Car from Reading Terminal to Bethlehem, and I still can't figure out why they didn't put some money into this line and keep it intact. Seems to me even leaving ONE of the two tracks in place for now would have made sense, but I guess once we lost the line from Bethlehem to Hellertown, this was bound to happen.

Still, very sad to see...

Frank

Yes, I saw the same thing when I was up there last Friday. The tracks are already gone from Station Avenue in Coopersburg up to Passer Road and ready to be pulled all the way up to Center Valley. They're also tearing out all of the relay cabinets and other infrastructure. It's really a sin, that 135 lb rail is still in good shape for the most part, Let's hope some of it at least sees service between Lansdale and Shelly again one of these days.